Episode Transcript
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Speaker 0 (00:00):
Welcome to the Faith
Unplugged podcast.
I am your host, daisy, and I amglad to be hosting this episode
of our midweek devotional, apart of the Compass Chronicles
podcast.
I'm so glad you're joining metoday as we step into this
sacred space together.
This is our moment in themiddle of the week to set aside
the rush, the noise, theconstant demands of life and
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simply rest in the presence ofGod.
Life can feel overwhelming attimes, can't it?
There are days when the burdensseem to stack up worries about
what's ahead, questions aboutwhat's behind or just the effort
it takes to keep moving forward.
But here, in this time we'resharing, we have the chance to
unplug from all of that andconnect with the one who sees us
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fully, knows us deeply andloves us unconditionally.
So, wherever you are right nowperhaps with a warm cup of
coffee in hand, on your waysomewhere or sitting in a quiet
corner let's take a moment tobreathe, to settle in and to
open our hearts.
I'm eager to dive into today'sdevotional with you, but first
let's begin with a prayer toinvite God into this space we're
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creating together.
Heavenly Father, we come beforeyou this morning with hearts
full of gratitude.
Thank you for the gift of thisnew day, for the promise of your
presence that surrounds usalways, even when we feel
distant or distracted.
We ask you now to calm ourrestless thoughts, to ease the
concerns that pull at us, toquiet the clamor of the world
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around us and to shine yourlight into every part of this
time we're spending together.
Meet us exactly where we are,lord, whether we're standing
firm in faith or feelingunsteady, whether we're at peace
or searching for it.
Speak to us through your word,draw us nearer to your heart and
fill us with the peace thatonly you can give, a peace that
holds us like a gentle embrace.
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In Jesus' name, amen.
Today we're turning ourattention to a verse that
carries a truth so rich and sosteadying that it can anchor us
through anything life brings ourway.
It's Psalm 139, verse 12 fromthe NIV, and it reads even the
darkness will not be dark to you.
The night will shine like theday, for darkness is as light to
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you.
Those words hold a weight ofcomfort and power, don't they?
Let them linger in your mindfor a moment.
Even the darkness will not bedark to you.
It's as if God is speakingdirectly to us, offering a
promise that, no matter how deepor heavy the shadows become,
they are never beyond his sight,never beyond his reach.
The night will shine like theday.
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Darkness is as light to him.
This is a truth that stretchesfar beyond what we can fully
grasp, and that's why we're heretogether, to sit with it, to
let it settle into our hearts,to let it reshape how we face
each morning, each challenge,each quiet moment of the day.
Some mornings greet us with aheaviness that's hard to shake
shadows of worry that cloud ourthoughts, doubts that whisper in
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the background, or lingeringpain that carries over from the
night before.
It's in those moments that wecan feel lost, as if the
darkness might overwhelm us, asif it might pull us under
entirely.
We've all known times when theweight feels too much to bear,
when the uncertainties of lifestack up like a wall we can't
see over, when the struggles,big or small, seem to close in
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from every direction.
But Psalm 139 steps into thatvery space with a reminder that
changes everything we think weknow about those moments.
No darkness is too deep for God.
What feels overwhelming to us,those times when the way forward
is hidden, when the path aheadlooks dim and uncertain, is as
clear as the brightest day.
To him, his presence doesn'tjust hover on the edges of our
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struggles.
It pierces through every shadow, bringing light exactly where
we need it most, exactly when weneed it most.
A sacred morning isn't aboutpretending that everything is
perfect or forcing ourselves tofeel something we don't.
It's not about putting on amask or pushing through with a
strength we don't have.
No, it's about inviting the onewho sees all into our reality,
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right where we are, right intothe midst of whatever we're
carrying, right into the placeswe might not even want to look
at ourselves.
Think about the areas of lifethat feel dim today.
It could be a relationshipthat's strained, where tension
hangs in the air and words don'tcome easily.
It could be an uncertain future, filled with more questions
than answers, where the nextstep feels unclear and the road
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ahead feels daunting.
Or it might be a quiet ache inthe soul, something unspoken,
something that lingers beneaththe surface and colors
everything we see.
Whatever it is, god isn'tdistant from those places.
He's not waiting for us tofigure it all out before he
draws near.
He's already there, shining hislight into every corner, into
every crevice, into every hiddenspot.
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And here's what's so remarkableabout this truth.
He doesn't just show us thenext step or point us in the
right direction like a guidestanding at a distance, he
transforms the darkness itself.
The night shines like the daybecause darkness is as light.
To him, that's not just acomforting idea to hold on to it
, a reality that shifts how westand in the face of life's
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challenges, how we walk throughthe moments that feel heavy, how
we approach the days that seemuncertain.
It means we don't have to carrythe weight alone or dig deep to
find our own strength whenwe're running on empty.
His presence is our light,steady and unchanging,
unwavering and constant, nomatter what this day holds, no
matter what we're facing, nomatter how long the night seems
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to stretch.
Let's dwell on that image for awhile, the idea of darkness
turning to light in his presence.
Picture a night so deep, sothick, that you can't see
anything around you, a blacknessthat feels heavy and endless, a
darkness that presses in andmakes everything feel uncertain.
Now imagine light breakingthrough, not a faint, fleeting
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glimmer that struggles to holdits own, but a radiance that
fills every space, that chasesaway the shadows, until the
night itself glows like middayuntil everything is clear and
bright and whole.
That's the power of God'spresence.
What we perceive asoverwhelming, he sees with
perfect clarity.
What we experience as a barrier, he moves through effortlessly.
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This isn't about denying thereality of the dark moments we
face.
It's about recognizing thatthey don't have the final say.
God does, and his say is light.
Light that doesn't flicker,doesn't fade, doesn't leave us
wondering if it's enough.
So what does that mean for ustoday, right here, right now?
It means we can bring anythingto him every worry that keeps us
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up at night, every doubt thatclouds our minds, every hidden
pain that weighs on our hearts,and trust that he's not put off
by it, not turned away by it,not surprised by it.
We don't have to wait untilwe've got it all together or
until the shadows lift on theirown.
His light is already there,ready to meet us in the mess,
ready to shine into the placeswe'd rather keep hidden, ready
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to bring clarity where we seeonly confusion.
A sacred morning begins when westop trying to fix it all
ourselves and start letting himin, when we stop striving to
hold it together and startresting in the one who holds all
things.
It's in that exchange, whereour vulnerability meets his
radiance, that we find peace,not because the problems vanish
instantly, but because we're notfacing them alone, because his
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nearness changes everything.
Consider those questions fromthe devotional again, because
they're an invitation to makethis truth real, to bring it
into the fabric of this day.
What darkness in your life canyou bring to God's light today?
It might be something specific,a situation that's weighing on
your mind, a fear that's beengrowing in the quiet, a hurt
that's been sitting there toolong, unnoticed or unaddressed.
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Name it whatever it is, don'tshy away from it, don't push it
down.
Bring it into his presence,knowing that what feels dark to
you is already bathed in hislight, already seen by him,
already held by him.
He's not overwhelmed by it, notintimidated by it, not distant
from it.
He sees it all and he's readyto shine into it, to bring his
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light where you need it most.
And then think about this howmight trusting in his presence
change the way you approach thismorning?
What would it look like tostart the day knowing that the
God who turns darkness intolight is with you, right beside
you, right within reach?
Maybe it's a shift inperspective, a little more calm
in the midst of the chaos, alittle more patience when things
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don't go as planned, a quietassurance that you don't have to
have all the answers, that youdon't have to carry it all on
your own.
His light doesn't just show theway, it carries you through, it
sustains you, it surrounds you.
It's a presence that doesn'twaver, a promise that doesn't
falter, a truth that doesn'tbend under the weight of our
struggles.
This truth from Psalm 139 isn'ta one-time fix.
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It's a daily anchor, a constantcompanion, a steady foundation.
Life will keep bringing itsshadows, some days heavier than
others, some moments morechallenging than we'd like, but
God's presence remains constant,unchanging, unshakable.
The darkness that feels so realto us, so tangible, so pressing
, is no match for Him.
It's His light to Him, always,in every circumstance, in every
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season.
That means every morning can besacred, not because we've
mastered everything, not becausewe've solved every problem, but
because we've invited him intoit, because we've opened the
door to his light.
We don't have to pretend orperform or push ourselves beyond
what we can bear.
We just have to show up honestand open and let His light do
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what it does best pierce through, transform, renew, restore.
And that's the beauty of thisverse it's not abstract or
distant or reserved for somefar-off moment.
It's practical, immediate,available right now.
When the worries creep in andtry to take hold, when the
doubts whisper and threaten tounsettle us, when the pain
lingers and refuses to let go,we can turn to Psalm 139 and
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remember God sees it all.
He's not deterred by the thingsthat weigh us down, not put off
by the struggles we face, notwaiting for us to climb out of
the pit before he steps in Hislight, is already there, already
working, already turning thenight into day, already making a
way where we see none.
So today, let's lean into thattruth, let's rest in it, let's
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live it out, let's take whateverfeels dim and lay it before Him
.
Let's trust that His presenceis enough not just to get us
through, but to transform theway we see everything, to
transform the way we walkthrough.
This day, a sacred morning,isn't about perfection or having
it all figured out.
It's about connection, aboutletting his warmth chase away
the cold, about finding peace inthe one who never leaves us in
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the dark.
It's about recognizing that, nomatter how deep the shadows
grow, they're never deeper thanhis reach, never darker than his
light.
That's what Psalm 139 offers usa reminder that God's presence
is our refuge, our strength, ourhope.
It's a call to stop strivingand start trusting, to stop
hiding and start seeking, tostop carrying and start
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releasing.
And it's a promise that holdstrue not just for this morning,
but for every morning, every day, every moment we choose to turn
to him.
Let's think about thattransformation again, because
it's worth circling back to.
The night shines like the day,not because the night itself
changes its nature, but becauseGod's light overwhelms it,
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because his presence redefinesit.
Darkness is as light to him,not because he ignores it, not
because he dismisses it, butbecause he sees through it,
because he moves within it,because he brings his radiance
to it.
That's the God we're invited totrust today, the God we're
invited to lean on, the Godwe're invited to rest in.
And when we do, everythingshifts, not always the
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circumstances, not always theexternal realities, but the way
we carry them, the way we facethem, the way we live through
them.
So what does it look like tobring our darkness to his light?
It's not complicated, not outof reach.
It's as simple as naming what'sheavy, those worries that keep
circling, those doubts that keepnagging, those pains that keep
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aching, and placing them beforehim.
It's as simple as saying Lord,this is what I'm holding, this
is what I'm feeling, this iswhat I can't shake, and it's as
powerful as trusting that he'salready there, already shining,
already working.
It's not about having theperfect words or the perfect
plan.
It's about having thewillingness to let him in, to
let his light touch what wecan't fix, to let his presence
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hold what we can't carry.
Presence hold what we can'tcarry.
And how does trusting in hispresence change our approach?
It's a question that opens up aworld of possibility.
It might mean starting the daywith a little less fear, a
little less hurry, a little lessneed to control everything.
It might mean facing thechallenges with a steadier heart
, knowing that the one who seesall is with us, knowing that the
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one who transforms darkness isnear.
It might mean resting in thetruth that we don't have to do
it all, be it all, solve it all,because he is enough, because
his light is enough, because hispresence is enough.
That's the shift Psalm 139invites us into a shift from
striving to trusting, fromdarkness to light, from
isolation to connection.
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This verse is a gift we canunwrap every day, a truth we can
return to again and again.
Life will always have itsshadows, times when the worries
feel bigger than we can handle,times when the doubts feel
louder than our faith, timeswhen the pain feels deeper than
our strength.
But God's light is always there, always steady, always
sufficient.
The night will shine like theday, not because we make it
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happen, not because we force itto be so, but because he is
there, because darkness is aslight to him, because his
presence changes everything weknow about the dark.
So let's hold that close today.
Let's let it guide us, let'slet it ground us and, as we move
through this day, let's keepcoming back to that promise.
When the shadows creep in andthey will, because that's the
nature of life in this worldlet's remember Psalm 139.
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Let's remember that no darknessis too deep, no night is too
long, no struggle is too heavyfor the one who sees it all.
Let's remember that His lightisn't just a distant hope.
It's a present reality, aliving truth, a constant
companion.
Let's remember that a sacredmorning isn't about what we do
or how we feel.
It's about who he is and wherehe is right here, right now,
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shining into every corner of ourlives.
So let's carry those questionswith us as we close, because
they're not just for this moment, they're for every moment ahead
.
What darkness in your life canyou bring to God's light today?
Name it again.
Let it rise up and place it inhis hands.
Trust that he's already there,already shining, already holding
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it.
And how might trusting in hispresence change the way you
approach this morning?
Picture it walking through thehours ahead with the knowledge
that no shadow is too deep forhim, that his light is with you
every step, that his light iswith you, every step, that his
peace is yours.
To claim it might mean a littlemore hope, a little more trust,
a little more rest in the midstof whatever comes, whatever it
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looks like, let it take root aswe pray together, let it shape
how you move forward, let itremind you that his light is
always there, always steady,always yours.
Lord, shine your light into ourlives this morning.
Dispel the darkness we feelwhether it's worry that's
weighing us down, doubt that'sclouding our minds, or pain
that's lingering in our heartsand fill us with your peace.
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Thank you for being ourconstant companion, for never
leaving us to face the shadowsalone, for walking with us even
when we can't see the way yousee us, god, even when we can't
see ourselves, and we're sograteful for that.
Lead us in your truth today,step by step, moment by moment,
and help us trust that nodarkness is too deep for you.
We love you, lord, and we restin your presence now, in Jesus'
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name, amen.
Thanks for joining me today onFaith Unplugged, brought to you
by the Compass Chroniclespodcast.
I hope this time together hasbeen a refreshing pause for you,
a moment to catch your breath,to turn your heart toward God
and to let His light pour overyou, renewing your spirit.
We'll be back next week withanother midweek devotional to
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encourage you along the way, sountil then, keep seeking him,
keep trusting in his unfailingpresence and remember that
you're never alone, even in thedeepest shadows.
If this episode has blessed you, if it's lifted your soul or
spoken to you in some way, wouldyou consider sharing it with
someone you know?
Pass it along to a friend, afamily member or anyone who
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might need this reminder ofGod's light.
It could be a blessing to themtoo.
Have a beautiful, blessed day,and may his peace walk with you
wherever you go.